It Came Upon a Midnight Storm
by aSelfishMoose
Summary: Two broken hearts meet in a most unfortunate event... but can such an encounter mend their shattered lives? A short, Christmas-themed smut.
1. Dashing Through The Snow

"Of course that's what this is, it's a Beartic in a snowstorm!" A man nervously laughed as he clutched onto the steering wheel with all of his strength. He looked to the left and right out of his car's mirrors, only to see a snowstorm thrashing the car from the outside. "I can barely see two meters outside of the car… at this rate, I'm gonna make it home in a body bag! So this is the day I die, huh? The driver laughed out loud, obviously not in the best state of mind.

"Some Christmas this is, eh? They send me home early, and in this snowstorm too! Say they can't pay me overtime, and I can't stay in the office for the night… it's not my fault I can't afford to live right in the city like they can! Arceus, I need to pull over…" he mumbled while scanning the road, trying to figure out how close to the edge he was. The man applied his brakes as he took his eyes off of the road. He looked out of the right windows, hoping for a dirt patch or… _something_ he could pull over onto. "I swear, if it's just a ditch on the side of the road…" the loud blaring of a horn in front of him snapped the man's head forwards. About ten meters ahead, the man saw the blinding lights of a transport truck in front of him. Whether it was in his lane, or he was in its lane… the man couldn't tell. What he could tell though, was that he was going to end up as a human pancake if he didn't do anything. The man twisted the steering wheel to the right, hoping to swerve out of the way before the truck squashed him flatter than a Stunfisk. He quickly managed to turn the car slightly, veering to the right and towards the edge of the road.

Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough.

The truck slammed right in between the front and rear doors, right behind the man on the driver's side. The truck wasn't moving fast enough to destroy the car, but it certainly had some momentum behind it. The man's car went spinning, in which direction the driver couldn't tell. He wrestled with the steering wheel for control, but it was of no use. The driver clenched his eyes as tight as he could, his only hope that he landed in something soft. The small vehicle continued to spin out of control until it hit something _hard_. The last thing the man felt was his face smashing into the steering wheel before he blacked out.

 _Some time later…_

A lone figure walked along the side of a deserted road, an arm bent in front of its head to block out the torrential snowfall. It trudged through the knee-deep snow, eyes set forwards but with no destination in mind…

The figure huffed, and made a half-hearted attempt to wipe the snow from its fur. It felt a rumbling from its stomach, and rubbed its thin abdomen. "Arceus, I'm so hungry… hopefully there's a town up ahead soon." Starting to feel lightheaded, the figure rubbed its forehead. "If I don't eat something soon…" the figure stopped again, finally noticing how cold it was. It clenched its fists and concentrated, eventually feeling a warmness course through its body. "I might be a fire-type" the creature mumbled to itself, "but I'm not sure if I'll have the energy to do that much more."

"Why do humans have to build cities so far away from each other, anyway? Can't everything just be close so they don't have to use cars?" the Pokémon asked nobody in particular, while raising its arm and the cloak-like fur on it to block out the snow from its eyes. It squinted and tried to look as far down the road as possible, but could only see a few meters in front of itself. Something out of the corner of its eye caught the creature's attention, as a glint of red stuck out on the right side of the road.

"Is that a… car? Oh Arceus, did somebody crash?" The Pokémon trudged through the snow, over to the vehicle. "Right into the ditch and the rocks in it, huh? The ditch is only a couple of meters deep though, but the front looks so crushed… it must been going fast, or was hit hard enough to send it into here that hard…"

The creature finally made it to the car and got a closer look at it. "The side looks like it'd been hit _hard_ by something, probably another vehicle. Sent it flying and… must've smashed straight on into the rocks here". The whole front was crushed into the rocks, but the passenger compartment seemed miraculously intact, ignoring the smashed-in door and rocks pressing against the probably-broken windshield. Wading through the snow, the Pokémon made its way to the passenger door and pulled on the handle with all of its strength. Its hand slipped from the icy handle, and a headrush tore through the creature's skull. "I just… don't have the energy to do this. But do I have enough psychic energy…" the Pokémon asked itself, while pulling a small, foot and-a-half long stick from its red, cloak-like fur.

It tried to clear its tired and blurry mind, pointing the stick at the car. "Just like a battle. Imagine moving the object, and concentrate your energy…" the Pokémon flicked its stick-wielding wrist. The car rocked a bit, some snow falling off of the roof.

"I can't do this… I'm useless in battles, not strong enough to open a door… no. Somebody in there needs my help… they're relying on me!" The Delphox pointed its stick at the door, closed its eyes, and concentrated with all of its might. "I can do this, I can do this, I can do this" it murmured to itself, words coming out in ragged, tired huffs. With a scream it yelled "I CAN DO THIS!" and thrust the stick upwards. The door came off of its hinges and dislodged with a creak, flying several feet in the air before landing in front of the Pokémon. "If I had any liquid in me to sweat I'd be wiping it away right now, I bet."

A furry head peeked inside of the car, taking a look at its interior. "Glass everywhere, the rocks really smashed that windshield in. The driver's side doors are bent in, but this side seems fine. It's so cold in here too, almost as cold as it is outside..." Looking towards the driver's seat, the Delphox noticed a twisted body. He couldn't have been much older than twenty years old, his head bent to the right and an airbag deflated in his lap. A hand reached towards the human, and pressed two clawed fingers against his neck. "Heart still beating and…" it reached up to its mouth, hand hovering just outside of the human's open jaw. "Thank Arceus, still breathing. If he doesn't get some heat soon though, he definitely won't be living for very long..." The Pokémon twisted its lithe body and squeezed into the passenger seat. Feeling something at its feet, it groped below the seat and pulled a metal box onto its lap. With deft and curious fingers the box's clasps were undone, and the Delphox opened the container to a stash of leftover food. "I promise I'll help you in just a second… but really think I'll pass out if I don't eat something soon." The Pokémon said to the body beside her. "Apple core, chip bag… ah, a candy bar! My Master never let me have one of these…" the Pokémon unwrapped the half-eaten sweet, and looked over to the unconscious man beside her. "I'm sorry…" she mumbled, "but I don't think you're really going to need this in your state." The candy was quickly eaten, and washed down with a quarter-full thermos of coffee. "Okay then… now I think I have the energy to do this."

Its energy restored, if only barely, the Pokémon reattached the door with telekinesis and started to rummage through the man's pockets. "I'll get you some help, I promise. Humans usually carry phones, don't they? I'm sure this one… ah!" Grasping a small rectangular device, the Pokémon flipped it open. "Seems older but… as long as it works."

Her old master had used a device like this before. The Pokémon had watched him use it enough that she had the general idea of how it worked, and what he had used it for. "Hadn't he used it to get help one time?" She vaguely remembered that someone had stolen something from him, money, or some petty object. "What where those numbers he called… 199? No, 911? I hope so." More intelligent than most Pokémon, the Delphox quickly read the keys and punched in the numbers.

Ring, ring, ring, ring…

"Please pick up, please pick up, please pick up…

Ring, ring, ring, ring…

Click!

"911, what's the address of the emergency?" a feminine voice answered on the other side of the phone.

With freezing hands the Delphox fumbled with the phone, putting it against her ear. "Please, I found this car crashed on the side of the road, you need to send help! We're both freezing in here, and I don't think we'll last much longer!"

Of course, this only came out as a series of 'del', 'phox', and 'delphox' cries.

"Is this some kind of joke? Who is this? Is there a human with you?" the operator answered.

"Of course they can't understand me. I can't see them and don't know them, so I can't make a mental link… okay. Please look!" the Pokémon cried into the receiver. "I know you can't tell what I'm saying, but you need to understand that we need help! P-please, if you have any…" the Delphox was interrupted by the operator clearing their throat into the phone.

"Look, I can't understand what you're saying. I need you to try and answer a question for me, somehow. Do you or your trainer need any assistance? Give me… one tap, or bang, or one _something_ for a 'yes', and two for 'no'.

Starting to feel the cold engulf her body again, and her mind become clouded, the Delphox smashed one fist on the twisted dashboard. "Yes! Of course we need help! I'm this human's only chance, I won't fail another one again!"

"I see…" the Operator began. "So if you do need help… can you tell me where you are right now? One noise for yes, two for no."

"Of course not, you moron!" she screamed into the cellphone, smashing down twice on the dashboard in succession for a 'no'. "Of course I can't tell you where we are! How in Arceus' name do you think I'll be able to explain that, if I can't even tell you that we need help?"

"So a no… well, okey. Please hold."

Mind beginning to feeling woozy, the Delphox grabbed her forehead. "Please, you incompetent…"

"DARRYL!" the operator yelled out, their phone obviously still being held close to their mouth. "Can you get a fix on this call's location? I think we might have to dispatch a… yes? You've got it? Where is it, then…" the clicking of a keyboard could be heard from the phone. "You're sure? All the way out… in the middle of nowhere? Well yeah, that's the road between… of course, get them on the line! And send a… yes, of course!" The Delphox heard a muffled sound from the phone, one she imagined being from the Operator putting the phone back to their ear.

"Thank you for holding, we have people on their way right now. Have a uh… merry Christmas" the connection was cut with a 'click', and the car's only conscious occupant sat in silence for a moment. A chill went through the Delphox's spine, and she rubbed her hands together to warm them up. A clawed hand wandered to the man's face, which she gently pressed her palm against.

"He's freezing, and I'm starting to get cold too…" the hand went to the heating controls. The knob made clicks as it turned, but nothing happened. She flicked the controls for the overhead light, but to the same effect. "Powers out, of course" she coughed violently for a few seconds. The Pokémon raised its arm to wipe the spittle away from her mouth, but was met with another dizzy spell. "I guess I'm not doing so well either. I've been walking all day and…" she rubbed her sore eyes. "I'm just so tired. Help is on it way and I guess…" the Delphox glanced over to the man beside her. "And I guess I just need to keep up both alive until they get here."

Dizziness began to overtake the Pokémon again. "I'm not going to make it much longer, if I don't find a way to heat us now… we're both going to be popsicles before anyone else is even close to here. There's got to be a way, what if I…"

The fire type began to concentrate her remaining energy. "I'm gonna pass out soon, but if I can heat the car enough that won't matter." The Delphox grabbed the man's shoulder and thigh, and started to push him over. Eventually, she managed to press him against the door, with enough room to fit a Delphox beside him. "Sorry about this, but you're going to need all the heat you can get. I have a feeling you wouldn't mind, not that you could anyway…" she said while squeezing in the beside the man. Snuggling up close to the driver, the Pokémon clenched her fists, closed her eyes, and cleared her mind.

Slowly, the car began to heat up, and up, and up, as the Delphox's vision had begun to get darker, and darker, and darker…

* * *

Howdy there, Moose here! I decided to take a little break from my other fic, A Dance Through Fire. Thought I'd take a little change of pace, get the creative juices flowing, if ya get what I mean. Made this over the course of the day, and I only have plans for another chapter or two. This'll probably turn into smut down the road so... just a heads up there, I guess. If you're waiting for A Dance Through Fire... don't worry! I'm almost through the next chapter, and it should hopefully be up within the next few weeks.


	2. O Bright Lights, How Ye Shine

A single sound echoed in the man's mind as he started to wake up.

 _Beep, beep, beep, beep…_

A hand travelled to his face, rubbing his tired eyes. He eventually tried to open them, but a blinding light forced his eyes to close again to adjust. Hands groping around, he eventually found the edges of a blanket and pulled them over his head to block out the light.

"Well, it looks like someone is finally awake," a bored, feminine voice called from somewhere in the room.

"Heh?!" the man grunted in response. He lowered the blanket and tried to open his eyes, blinking once again as they attempted to adjust. "Who're you? W-where am I?" Squinting, the man tilted his head to the side and barely managed to open an eye. Beside his bed, there was a some type of blinking screen. Lines went up and down across the screen, zigzagging.

 _Beep, beep, beep, beep…_

"Vitals seem to be fine… ah, yes," the sound of clacking footsteps grew louder as someone approached the bed. "You're in a Pokémon Center, sweetie. Don't you remember what happened?"

It wasn't just the light that was bright, the man noticed. The whole room seemed to be a bright white colour. Still squinting, he glanced around the room to get his bearings. Beside him a old heart monitor was fixed to the table, the source of the beeping. Looking forwards, the man saw a figure standing in front of him. Dressed in a pink dress and white apron, her focus was on a clipboard clutched in her hands.

The nurse scribbled something on the clipboard, and looked up. "You were in a car crash, sweetie. Now, can you tell me your name?"

"It's uh… Chase?" He rubbed his forehead and clenched his teeth.

"Can remember name… check," the nurse scribbled something else on the clipboard, then looked up again. "Do you remember what happened last night?"

He scratched his nose and yawned. "Last night…? I was... driving home from work, late at night. What time was it… three-ish? And then…" He racked his brain, an attempt in vain, as he couldn't think of anything else. "I'm uh… not sure. How did I end up… here, exactly?"

"Well according to the files the hospital sent me, you got into an accident. Your car slammed into a rocky ditch, but... " the nurse flipped through the sheets attached to the clipboard. "Well, you were surprisingly unharmed. The front of your car was crushed in, but the cabin was in reasonable condition. Minus a smashed windshield, it seems."

"I was in a crash? And wait a second…" the man sat up and stretched his arms. "You talked about the hospital like it was some other place… if I'm not there, where am I now then?"

The nurse sighed and scribbled something else down. "Like I said sweetie, you're in a Pokémon Center, in Eterna City. You were rushed to the hospital, and your Pokémon was sent here. That was…" she took a hand off of the clipboard and checked her watch, then pondered something for a few seconds. "Well, that was at least five hours ago. After they gave you a quick checkup there, the doctors must've realised that nothing was seriously wrong with you. They called me here, and we decided that you should be sent over so you can be with your Pokémon. You could imagine how confused and even… violent some can get when they wake up in a strange place, their trainer nowhere in sight. Come to think of it, once we had an Alakazam sent here after a similar case as yours. Started tearing up the place, we had to get its trainer on the phone from the hospital just to calm it down. Mind you, I…"

Chase cleared his throat loudly, interrupting the nurse mid-sentence. "I'm sorry… you said I had a Pokémon? I don't ever…"

The nurse stomped a foot down. "Look here, kid! I've been _trying_ to be polite for the sake of formality, but don't even get me started on that Pokémon. Why professors give responsibilities like that to people like you is beyond me! How could you even treat a living being that way? They gave her to me, fur falling out in clumps! She was malnourished beyond anything I've ever seen a trainer's Pokémon, and _barely_ had enough energy to eat a decent meal! Now she's in some kind of psychic coma, probably…" zoning out of the nurse's rant, his mind now confused beyond belief, Chase attempted to mentally piece the last five hours together.

"I got in a car crash… and I own a Pokémon?"

The Nurse shot Chase a furious glare. "Are you even listening to me? I've already told you that you were in a car crash, along with your Pokémon!" She furiously flipped through the papers on her clipboard, until locking eyes on a specific page. "Right here, it says she was huddled right next to you! Probably spent all of her energy just trying to keep you warm in that freezing car! With how you've starved and mistreated her… I'm surprised she didn't just leave when you crashed! And it looks like _you're_ in reasonable health, so don't give me that "I can't pay to care for it" bullshit."

"Ma'am, I'm sorry… but I really don't know what you're talking about. I haven't owned a Pokémon in at least… has to be ten years now. Please, just listen…"

The nurse stomped a foot down and crossed her arms. "Uh huh. Now somebody comes along and criticizes your awful, abusive training "methods", and you pretend you don't have a Pokémon. Typical. I thought I'd wait until you woke up and get your side of the story… but you _certainly_ don't seem to be any help. If you're just going to play dumb… then fine. I'll make sure that Pokémon goes to a _proper_ home. You'll never…"

"LISTEN!", the man yelled. "I DON'T own a Pokémon! Just listen to me for _one_ second! I don't know why there was a Pokémon in my car! Maybe it got lost from its trainer and tried to escape the cold… or someone abandoned it? I don't know!"

Apparently taken aback by the outburst, the nurse looked at Chase and frowned. "So you're telling me that this Pokémon found your crashed car… somehow opened the bent-in door… snuggled next to you _and_ called 911… and you seriously have no idea who, or who's it is?"

Look, if you don't believe me… okay. I haven't trained Pokémon in a while, like I told you. But from what I've heard… caught Pokémon are assigned IDs now, aren't they? Registered in a database… keeps people from catching someone else's Pokémon, and some lottery-corners use them to draw prizes… I dunno."

The nurse raised an eyebrow. "Well… of course. What are you…"

"Well…" Chase started. "This is a Pokémon Center… can't you pull up its file?"

"Yes? And?" The nurse gave Chase a quizzical look."

"So… look it up. You'll see that I don't own it. I'm telling you, it's not my Pokémon. I have no clue why it was in my car with me, it certainly wasn't there when I left work."

Rolling her eyes, the nurse pouted. " Yeah, sure. I'll go take a look." She spun on a heel, and began walking out the door. "And then we'll see…" but her voice trailed off as she left the room.

Several minutes passed, and Chase was alone with his thoughts. "Why did this Pokémon…" Chase mumbled to himself as he thought. "Maybe it was someone in my family's? Practically everyone in my family is… or at least was a trainer, at some point. Maybe it got lost and… got separated from them? Recognised my car from a family gathering, and decided to help me? But why was it so malnourished then? I don't think anyone in my family… I'm not sure…"

Chase was snapped out of his thoughts as the clacking of shoes echoed from the hallway. The nurse entered the room, her clipboard replaced by a few papers.

"So…" the nurse mumbled. "This was everything on the database. I found a registered match to her biological data, and… umm…"

"Well… was she registered to me? Have I ever owned this… mystery Pokémon?

"I… no, she wasn't. I… I'm sorry for bursting out like that. I shouldn't have assumed…" She looked at the ground, nervous eyes fixed on the floor.

Raising a hand and clearing his throat, Chase interrupted the nurse. "No it's… don't worry about it. Have you… dealt with Pokémon abuse… cases before?"

The nurse looked up and tilted her head to the side. "I… I have. I've had a few trainers bring their Pokémon in. They usually… complain about how poor their Pokémon performed in a recent battle. Often they're… visibly underfed. Sometimes have bruises on them, and not from regular Pokémon battles either…"

Chase nodded, and spoke. "I understand. You just… try to look out for Pokémon, don't you? Want to make sure they're in kind… loving, happy homes?"

"Of course…" the nurse began. "But I shouldn't have assumed that it was _you_ that actually…"

"Look… if I were in the same situation as you… I'd probably be thinking the same thing. But enough of that… can you tell me what you found out about her? Why was she… do you know why she saved me? Who owns, or owned her?"

"Of… of course." The nurse sorted through the papers, apparently looking for something specific. 'Actually… how about I show you to her? It might be easier to explain some of this."

Chase raised an eyebrow in confusion, but nodded shortly after. "Well… you're the professional. I trust you know what you're talking about… lead the way then." He got out of the bed without trouble, still dressed in his work clothes. The dress shirt was a bit ruffled… but in good condition considering being in a car crash, and all.

"Of course, follow me." The nurse again turned on her heel to leave the room, only this time with Chase following closely behind. The two walked down a poorly-lit hallway, the old wooden floor creaking as they travelled. Tired-looking staff members rushed down the hall alongside Chase and the nurse. One was pushing a Typhlosion on a stretcher, while some hurried from room-to-room, checking on Pokémon. "As you can see, we're quite busy here. With the massive growth in the city, we certainly aren't big enough anymore. The room you were in is the newest addition here, only built a year or two ago. There were plans to update the whole Pokémon Center like it… but headquarters decided to build a whole new facility instead. The new facility is just across the street, but it won't open for another month or two. Until then… we're stuck trying to manage here, overworked, understaffed, and not enough rooms to serve the city. We've even had to turn people away, on busy days… ah, we're here." They reached a dull metal door, and the nurse turned the creaking handle.

Much like the hallway outside, the room was dimly lit. The floor was made of dull grey tiles, stained from decades of use. The walls were similarly boring, an old beige wallpaper spread across its surface. Laying in a near-identical bed to the one Chase woke up in, a dark red fox-like Pokémon lay. Although he had only seen such a Pokémon in pictures, Chase knew immediately that something was wrong with it. Clumps of fur were missing from it's robe-like body, and several patches of dirt seemed to be caked into the fur.

"We tried to clean her up as much as we could, but we just don't have the staff to give her a proper bath…"

The two walked towards the side of the bed, and Chase leaned in to get a closer look. "I can't even see her stomach… but I can see the malnutrition from here. Her face is so thin and shrunken… looks like she hasn't eaten in days. So, what did the records say about her?"

The nurse glanced down at her papers, and looked over the reports. "You see… the first few pages are all basic data, her height, weight, blood type, medical history, vaccines… and the like. Data like this only exists for Pokémon that have been caught before, but the thing is… there isn't any trainer registered to her."

"How can that…" Chase turned to the nurse, and crossed his arms. "So you're saying she's owned… but not owned? How…"

The nurse gave a weak smile and bowed her head a few centimeters. "This isn't… extremely uncommon. It means she was caught at some point, so her biological data, which I used one of her hairs to compare to, is linked to a registered Pokémon. There isn't any trainer registered… but this just means that she isn't owned _anymore_. Even when a Pokémon is released, they're still in our system. It just doesn't show who owns her, since the trainer released her and their name is automatically removed from the file when that happens."

Chase looked back at the withered Pokémon and frowned. A pang of guilt tore through his heart. He had never seen her before… but Chase had a feeling unlike anything he had ever experienced before. The sorrow he felt for the Pokémon… he didn't know the Delphox, but he couldn't help but feel awful for it and its situation. "Treated so horribly... but she still went out of her way to help a human in need…"

The nurse frowned, then nodded slowly. "It… it sure seems that way. As long as she's fed, cleaned up and, well... cared for… I'm sure she'll make a full recovery."

Closing his eyes for a moment, Chase pondered something then spoke. "I was thinking earlier, and I think you might've mentioned it… but do you think she could've been released by someone I know? Why she came to _me_ of all people… I just dunno…"

"It's certainly possible. Do you know anybody that might've… treated, or treats their Pokémon like this?"

'Well… most of my family trains Pokémon. It's a tradition, I guess. I'm probably the only one under 50 with a real job, I'd bet." Chase scratched his chin, and looked over the Delphox. "Well… nobody I can think of would be this cruel. Sure they have different training strategies, and my family can get really competitive… but nobody is downright abusive to their Pokémon. Nobody I can recall, at least."

Looking over her papers again, the nurse let out a deep sigh. "A coworker, perhaps?"

"I… I really don't know. Delphox aren't native to Sinnoh, are they?"

"Of course not… the only way you'd get one here is if it was imported. It might have been raised by a breeder, but it would've been expensive for a Pokémon like that."

Chase racked his brain again, trying to think of anybody who would have been able to afford a Pokémon like this. "I don't think so. Everyone I know, even my family, just catches Pokémon from the region. Maybe the odd gift or two, a Pokémon from another region… but nothing _that_ expensive. It's certainly a possibility, but I'm really just not sure. I can always… ask around, if you want. I'd certainly be happy to help get to the bottom of this… situation."

Deep in thought, the nurse continued to search through the papers.

"So…" Chase mumbled. "Do you want to… wait until she wakes up? See if we can get her side of the story?'

The nurse snapped out of whatever trance she was it, and turned to Chase. "You see… there's a problem."

Chase raised an eyebrow. "A… problem? What's the uh… what's the issue?"

"You see, well…" The nurse set the papers down and stood up straight. "I had a look through your files, as well. To try to spot situations like... " the nurse glanced over at the comatose Delphox. "Well, like this… we've been given access to the personal files of trainers. And former trainers. On yours I found… well, pretty much nothing. You don't have any criminal record, no charges filed against you… in fact, you one of the most, how do I word it… generic people I've ever met. You help out in the community from time to time, work in an office, make a living wage, always show up to work on time…"

Chase rolled his eyes and shrugged. "It's not exciting… but whatever pays the bills, I guess."

"Oh no, I didn't mean… I didn't meant to offend you in any way. What I meant is… you're a decent citizen. Okay look, I'll cut to the chase. We're very busy here, and there was some rules put in place by administration a few months ago. The most important one is… we aren't allowed to serve wild Pokémon. We just… assumed that she was yours, since you two were found together. If my boss checks the records and finds out… they'll throw the Delphox onto the streets."

Chase squinted, and gave the nurse a look of bewilderment. "Just… like that?"

"Just… yes, just like that. I'd take her home and care for her if I could… but with how busy it is here, I just don't have the time for it. So what I'm trying to say is… look, I'm asking if you'd be able to take care of her."

"Hold on…" Chase rubbed his forehead and squinted again. "I haven't owned a Pokémon in years, and you want me to take in something that… big? She's as big as a human… I'd probably be doubling how much I spend on food in a year."

"Oh, of course. I'm not asking you to keep her, just care for her until she's fine. The doctor that treated her said that a psychic coma like this isn't extremely uncommon, she'll probably be awake by tomorrow morning. After that… it should only take a day to get her cleaned up, and maybe a week to get her back on a proper eating schedule. From there… you could see if you can find her past owner. I'm still fairly certain that she knows you… saving you out of nowhere and all."

'Well my car is busted up… and I can't exactly afford to take a taxi back and forth to work every day. I guess I'll be using my vacation time to look for a new car, so it's not like I'm really doing that much…" Chase turned his head back to the Delphox, and the despair for the poor Pokémon returned. He thought for a moment, then sighed. "I… I guess so. At least until she's recovered. Then… I dunno. We'll probably have found her last trainer by then, and I'll leave the rest to you."

Nodding, and nurse let out a sigh of relief. "I can't thank you enough for this. She's been through enough already… and I couldn't stand to see her thrown back onto the streets.

Chase smiled and nodded. "Of course. And if anything happens or changes, I'll make sure to let you know. Now…" Chase glanced back towards the Delphox. "Without my car, I guess I'll have to think of a way to get her back home…"

Minutes later, the nurse held open the front doors to the Pokémon Center. Chase, carrying the surprisingly light Pokémon, stepped through the doors and onto the cold winter sidewalk. A taxi, hailed by Chase from his phone, was parked just outside the Pokémon Centre on the street. Chase nodded and smiled to the taxi driver, who was standing just outside of the rear door. The driver nodded back and opened the taxi door, then Chase lay the still-unconscious Pokémon in the seat. He buckled her seatbelt on, then turned around and walked back to the sidewalk.

Standing on the sidewalk was the nurse, her clipboard once again clutched in her hands. Catching Chase's gaze, she smiled. "I really can't thank you enough for doing this, it's just so cold out here, even for a fire-type Poké…"

"Please," Chase interrupted and grinned. "It really isn't that much of a problem. I'll put her to bed, and clean her up in the morning. I'll see if I can find out who her last trainer was… and we'll work from there. Like I said, I'll let you know right when I find anything out."

"Of course…" The nurse extended her hand to Chase.

Chase grasped the hand, and the two shook hands. "I never got your name… if you don't mind me asking."

"Oh, silly me!" The nurse burst out into a laugh. "Heh, it's Joyce. Sorry for not telling you, guess we got caught up in all this…" Joyce glanced towards the Delphox as the driver closed the rear door. "All of this unfortunate business."

Chase nodded, then stuck his cold hands into his dress-pants pocket. "Well… it's cold and late, I better get going."

"Of course. Like I said, I'll swing by your apartment on my way to work tomorrow to check on her."

Chase nodded, and the two waved goodbye to each other. Chase got into the taxi behind the driver and beside the Delphox, then brushed the snow off of his hair.

"Looks like you've had a long day, kid" the driver said, trying to make small talk.

"You're telling me… never thought I'd be looking after a Pokémon after quitting training years ago.

"Mmhm. So where're we headed to, kid?"

"I'm just glad they sent me to the hospital here… makes it real easy to get home," Chase mumbled to himself.

The driver sighed in annoyance. "Look kid, it's Christmas Eve. The faster I get you to where you need to be, the faster I can spend time with my family. Just tell me where you're going so I can finish up here."

Chase snapped out of his daze and turned to the driver. "Oh I'm… sorry. Uh… the Palmer building. Just off Anabel Street.

"Aye," the driver said. "Now we're getting somewhere. Should be there in five minutes, with all the traffic and snow 'round here…"

Chase nodded as he buckled his seatbelt on. He yawned, and stretched his arms. He looked over to the Delphox, and took a good view of her. His suspicions were quickly confirmed that she was _definitely_ malnourished. Chase guessed that if he could see under her fur… she'd probably be bruised too. The feeling of sorrow for the Pokémon returned, and Chase shook his head.

"Why me? I'm still pretty sure that I've never seen you before, so why me? Why did you go out of your way, exhausted and starving, to save me?" Chase muttered under his breath. He rubbed his sore eyes and glanced out the window. For a few minutes, he just stared out to the city as building rushed by. Chase imagined the people inside of them, just living their lives. "Who could've done this to you? And why? If what you did for me proves anything…" Chase looked back to the Delphox and shook his head. "You must be such a kind, compassionate Pokémon. I just don't understand why anyone would…" Chase's thoughts were interrupted by the screeching of the taxi's breaks. As the car stopped quickly, Chase was thrown forwards until his seatbelt locked and caught him.

The driver leaned out of his seat and looked back at Chase. "We're here," he called out.

Finally back in his apartment, Chase flipped the lightswitch on with his shoulder. The room was very small, all Chase could afford with his meager income. The living room and kitchen were were the same room, with the small rectangular dining table just behind the sofa and seating area. The only other rooms were a tiny bathroom, and equally small bedroom.

Chase looked over to the couch and the un-matching armchair. He considered putting her on the couch for the night, but decided against it. "I've only got one bed… but it's probably the polite thing to let her have the only bed. Not to mention, waking up on a strangers couch would be pretty weird…" Chase pondered, as he headed to the bedroom and gently laid the frail Delphox on the single-bed. After tucking her in, he went back to the kitchen to grab a few things. He came back to the bedroom a minute later with a cup of water and sticky note in his hands. Chase lay the glass on the nightstand and stuck the note to it. It read "Thanks for saving me," then a smiley face was drawn beside that. Below this line it read "Hospital couldn't keep you, so we decided to let you stay here. You can stay as long as you want, I'm not going to force you to stay or anything." There was one final line, which read "I'll be sleeping on the couch, just leave a note on the kitchen counter if you decide to leave before I wake up."

" _That should do it,"_ Chase thought to himself. " _I don't want her to wake up lost and confused… this is the least I can do."_ Chase quietly grabbed an extra blanket out of the bedroom's closet and headed to the living room. Despite the heat being on, it was still a tad chilly in the apartment. Chase decided to keep his clothes on, and plopped down onto the couch. "Well…" he began. "That was an… interesting day." He thought once more of the Delphox and her awful situation. " _Don't worry,"_ Chase though to himself. " _We'll find who did this to you… and I'll make sure you find a proper home. I mean, it's the least I can do…"_ and it was with this though, this promise, that Chase fell asleep to.

* * *

Hey there, its me. Moose.

I've been finding less and less time to write, unfortunately. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop writing, though! It just means that you might have to expect a bit of... delay between these. This story will probably only have two more short chapters, or one long one. Depends on how well each flows. After that, it's back to Kenia and Terry, and their zany escapades! Speaking of that, I'm roughly half-way through the next chapter of A Dance Through Fire. So for all of you waiting for that... don't worry! It'll be posted as soon as it's finished. Until next time, all of you faithful readers!


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